Image Credit: Tennessee General Assembly & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
Senator Joey Hensley (R-Dist. 28- Hohenwald) has filed a bill which would amend the law regarding Tennessee’s standards for safe drinking water by making fluoride a prohibited substance in public water supplies.
SB0162 appears in the lineup for the 2025 legislative session after reports circulated toward the end of last year that the topic could be addressed in the General Assembly this year, and the bill would mark a significant change to Tennessee’s water standards as approximately 88% of residents served by community water systems receive fluoridated water, according to the TN Department of Health.
The current laws regarding TN water safety standards ban actions like defiling or damaging system infrastructure, discharging sewage in or near the supplies, and withdrawing or pumping too much water from the system if it could negatively impact customers.
The language of SB0162 will simply add a subsection to this portion to the existing laws by making adding fluoride to, “a public water system by the supplier of water who owns, operated, or controls the public water system,” another prohibited action.
This bill could become rather controversial as many community water suppliers and oversight bodies, including the TN Department of Health, look to advice and recommendations from agencies like the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Center for Disease Control, and American Dental Association, all of whom wholeheartedly endorse the use of fluoride.
Though the debate surrounding the chemical’s impact on health has been ongoing for several decades, it has seen a mainstream resurgence as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, has been an outspoken advocate for nationwide fluoride prohibition.
The surgeon general of Florida has also recommended against fluoridated water, citing possible neuropsychiatric risks and pointed to several other U.S. municipalities and European countries who have banned fluoride from their water systems.
More locally, a utility district in Woodlawn, TN recently voted to remove fluoride from their system, citing health and safety impacts for both consumers and plant employees alongside cost savings from ceasing purchase of the chemical.
The bill does not yet have any co-sponsors listed, but its filing is significant as it indicates the serious consideration certain members of the Assembly are affording the concerns and desires of constituents and highlights their willingness to stand against established institutions and potentially harmful guidance to create lasting and effective change for all Tennesseans.
Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
